From The Fire
by Gothic984
Summary: After an incident with Luke Gail becomes increasingly concerned about an interfering presence, while Lucas struggles to control his pent up dark urges.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Family Affairs.

It was a hot and humid evening in Trinity South Carolina, with the warm wind offering no reprieve from the unpleasantly high temperatures of late. The muggy atmosphere was worsened by townspeople gathering close together in front of the Town Hall steps, refusing to be left out of any potential gossip that may entertain them and the unexpected crowd caused an impromptu spectacle with one of the candidates for Mayor.

Lucas Buck leaned casually against the passenger side door of Ben Healy's police cruiser, untouched by the hot weather. He smiled as his candidate spouted on about what he believed he could do to improve Trinity, amused that the man could actually piece a sentence together on his own, albeit not very well.

Peter was harmless and good at following direction. Lucas had ensured that all the right people would vote in the mans favour, now he just needed the idiot to avoid any obvious scandal and the election would be plain sailing from here on in.

Gail stared up at Peter completely unimpressed by his naive beliefs, willing some unknown entity to break through the ground beneath her and devour her whole, just so she did not have to listen to the fool ramble on any longer about things that he had no idea about.

As she was now covering the election, she had been interviewing the incompetent oaf for an article that she was writing; however, the sheep of this community had decided to gather around them mid interview hoping for some inside knowledge and this resulted in Peter feeling the need to address his supposed public directly and her moving to a secluded place to the side of the crowd, not wanting to be linked to him in any way. The move had been a mistake and she should have just shut him up. Without her husband to script a speech for him, the display was unforgivably cringe-worthy and she was surprised that Perter had managed to come across even more stupid than usual.

Gail felt a familiar sensation wash over her and let out a long irritated sigh, when she sensed her husband close by. Of course he would be here to back his horse, knowing full well that she could not do anything to push her candidate Adam to the forefront due to having to remain unbiased for her job. This election was becoming tedious and she could not stand to listen to the oaf waffle on for any longer.

Lucas watched as his wife made her way around the crowd discreetly so not to bring attention to herself, then approached him and rested her behind next to him on the police cruiser. 'You enjoyin' the show love?' he asked smugly, seeing the fury in her eyes at how this was playing out.

Gail glanced her husband up and down slowly, resenting how fresh he looked in this ridiculous heat when her clothes and hair were sticking to her. She wished that she could be mad at him for being so smug; however, this was the game they were playing and she could not scold him just because he appeared to be winning. 'This show just proves how uneducated your horse is, it's concerning really' she replied calmly, not allowing him to get under her skin and continuing to watch the display on the Town Hall steps with disgust.

Lucas laughed amused at her attempt to remain civil, then placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. 'I hear your horse is strugglin' to get himself heard since you abandoned his campaign for your integrity, now that's what I'd call concernin'' he whispered in her ear mockingly.

Gail inhaled deeply at his attempt to goad a reaction from her and just smiled up sweetly at him. 'If my integrity was truly what drives me, you'd have been reaching for yourself alone most evenings while I enjoyed a nice peaceful life in Charleston with your first born' she retorted in a soft tone.

Lucas smiled to hide his insult at the comment, then moved his hand down her back and squeezed her behind hard. 'I'd never reach alone Darlin', you know me better than that...that's what Selena's for' he said unable to stop the hurtful comment from leaving his mouth and smiled satisfied when he felt her tense underneath his hand.

Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head at the comment, not believing he had gone there so soon when she had clearly been joking. 'Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise it was your time of the month. Maybe you need to lie down with a hot water bottle and some chocolate, it'll help those pesky hormonal imbalances that effect your mental state' she said sarcastically, not allowing herself to rise to his level.

Lucas stared at her confused by the comment for a moment, then felt himself become agitated at the insinuation. 'I'm not the one workin' myself into the ground tryin' to find some non existent connection at the lack of females in the Buck line, you need look at your mental state love before you start attacking mine' he advised abruptly, confused at how the conversation had taken such a turn.

Gail looked up at him hurt for a moment then shook off his comment, gently pulled away from his grasp and walked a few steps away without saying a word, to distance herself from him.

'What that's it? Nothin' more to say?' Lucas asked angrily, not liking being ignored.

'You've said enough' Gail said flatly, then turned away and started heading towards her car.

'You just gonna leave mid interview? What kind of Reporter abandons her post when she has a deadline to meet?' Lucas asked in disbelief, disregarding Ben's return to the car.

Gail shook her head in agitation and turned back towards her husband, smiling pleasantly so not to show her true anger. 'The kind that doesn't give a shit about what an incompetent candidate has to say. Besides, I've got a dinner date with your back up so I guess you will be reaching for yourself after all...Don't wait up' she smiled sweetly, then waved at Ben before turning back towards her car.

'Gail?' Lucas called quietly, aware of the crowd not far from them, then let out a long sigh when she ignored him and got into her blood red Mustang.

'What was that about?' Ben asked nervously, not liking the look of anger on Lucas' face or how hard Gail slammed the door of her car.

'Women' Lucas snapped angrily, then got into the passenger side of the car and signalled for Ben to drive them anywhere but here.

* * *

Caleb sat with his friend Rose on the bottom of his double bed, concentrating hard on the video game before him. He had been entrusted by his Step Mom to take care of his baby Brother Luke while his parents were out working and had been happy for the chance to prove that he could be responsible; however, when Rose knocked on the front door an hour earlier, he decided to leave Luke in his crib and show off the gifts he had gotten for his birthday the previous month.

'Are you sure Luke's alright on his own?' Rose asked Caleb concerned, not convinced that Gail would appreciate her Son being left while they played video games.

'Ah he'll be fine, he's got all of his toys and he'd only be crawlin' around here anyway' Caleb shrugged, then started bashing the buttons on the controller to make his vehicle move faster.

Rose stared at him suspiciously for a moment, then glanced at the baby monitor on the bedside table which linked to the one in Gail's bedroom and decided to relax a little. 'I can't believe the Sheriff let you have this stuff in here, it's so out of place' she said, glancing around at the old decor admiringly.

'It's my home too and I can have what I want' Caleb advised proudly, then handed the pad to Rose for her turn when he past the finish line in record time.

Rose looked down at the pad nervously and turned towards Caleb. 'I don't wanna break this thing' she said concerned, guessing this entertainment equipment cost more than the monthly rent her Mother pays.

Caleb laughed at her concern and shook his head. 'I got a spare, it just ain't charged as I didn't know you were comin'' he smiled, walking casually towards the window and glancing at the empty driveway outside.

Rose inhaled deeply and pressed the start button, not knowing what she was required to do on this game. 'I don't know whether my Mom would freak or give me a medal if she knew I was in your bedroom' she laughed nervously.

Caleb felt a flutter in his stomach and gulped. He had been trying to forget that this was the first time Rose had actually been in his room when they were alone in the house, and he felt a strange surge of excitement flow through him.

Suddenly the baby monitor began flashing and Caleb spared it a quick glance, before disregarding it completely and turning his attention towards Rose. 'I think Gail would freak, but my Daddy would be fine...I dunno what Gail thinks we'd do up here' he shrugged, then shuffled his feet uncomfortable.

Rose focused on the large television in front of her and tried to push down the butterflies that she felt in her stomach. Her Mother had mentioned things about boys before; however, she had not been clear and she did not understand what women seemed to be concerned about. She made a mental note to enquire about such things with her Mother or someone more capable of giving an understandable answer, when she heard crackling on the baby monitor and looked over her shoulder at the small device curiously.

Luke picked up a stuffed elephant that was beside him in his crib and threw it moodily, he watched as it bounced on the wooden bars of his prison and fell over the side, hitting the floor gently. He did not like being trapped like this on his own and surveyed the barriers, then crawled over to the bars and pulled himself up effortlessly.

Usually his mother would be present when he was stuck in her and would pick him up when she noticed him plotting his escape; however, there was no one in this room but him and he shook the bars frantically in an attempt to gain his freedom. Luke squealed in frustration when the bars would not budge and stared down at the elephant on the other side, yearning to be reunited with his friend. Suddenly he heard the quiet sound of the latch releasing and the opposite side of the crib fell down.

Luke regarded the flat bars of his prison suspiciously, which had dropped to the floor on their own and left a gaping space to the outside world for him. He glanced around the room to see if his Brother or parents were watching him, knowing that his parents did not like it when he attempted to escape his prison. When he was sure that he was still alone, he smiled mischievously and crawled carefully to the edge of the crib, lowering himself down until his feet touched the cold hardwood floor and then rested his bottom on the floor casually.

Luke stared around the brightly lit room for a moment contemplating his next move, then the bedroom door creaked open on it's own and he felt a small force pushing him gently towards the upstairs landing. He sat frozen for a moment feeling an uneasy sensation flowing through body, then crawled to the open door and out onto the landing area to take advantage of his freedom.

Rose allowed Caleb to take the controller from her when her car crashed numerous times and continued to stare at the baby monitor curiously. The baby was not making a sound; however, red lights were flashing frantically and a strange buzzing was coming from the monitor. 'Caleb, maybe we should check on Luke' she suggested, unable to hide her concern for the young boy.

'Luke's fine, he'd cry or shout if he needed anythin'...Come on, I'm gettin' you on track!' Caleb exclaimed happily, taking over Rose's turn and attempting to score her some points.

Rose went to reply to Caleb; however, she was violently jolted upright and felt herself being pushed towards the bedroom door.

'Rose?' Caleb asked confused, watching as she headed for the door.

Rose shook off the strange sensation that came over her and opened the bedroom door slowly, then gasped when she saw Luke crawling causally towards the stairs. 'No!' she shouted scared, then let out a long relieved sigh when the baby turned towards her and his eyes started to well up with tears.

Luke did not like the tone of the young girl, it had shocked him and made him scared. As the tears started to fall from his eyes and his bottom lip began to quiver, the sound of the front door opening caught his attention and he squealed happily when he saw his Mother enter. He did not catch the look of horror on her face when she spotted him unattended on the upstairs landing and just crawled quickly towards the stairs to get to her.

Rose spotted Gail run towards the stairs in an attempt to reach Luke before he reached the drop and fell. She knew Gail would not get to him in time and instinctively rushed towards the baby herself, grabbing his leg and pulling him hard to her chest just as his small hand missed the second stair.

Gail watch in horror when her baby began to fall as she had done herself so long ago when she was first pregnant, then saw Rose drag him up roughly. She put her hand over her mouth in shock at what had just happened and felt tears streaming down her cheek, as she heard Luke scream in pain at being pulled up so abruptly.

'I'm so sorry...' Rose started as she carefully rushed down the stairs to Gail holding Luke, upset that she had hurt the baby.

Gail embrace Rose as she still held Luke and held them both close to her chest, all three of them crying together for different reasons.

Caleb came out of his room just in time to see Rose grab Luke and felt the familiar presence close by. He glanced at his cousin apologetically and took a step back at the dark look in her eyes, as she stared up at her bedroom door knowingly.

* * *

Lucas sat at the small kitchen table of the large bungalow, lighting matches in the dark. He watched fascinated as the flame travelled down slowly and sizzled against his fingertips before going out, then smiled as his skin burned. His twin had been restless since Gail had left him earlier and he could not think of a better way to satiate it's desire than visiting an old friend.

Selena walked through the front door of her home which led into a small room attached to her long kitchen, she could smell the familiar cologne in the air before her eyes spotted her old love and she let out a small laugh at the state of her life. 'You come here to gloat?' she asked to the darkness, then turned to the small table when she spotted a match light up.

Lucas continued to stare at the match, allowing it to burn into his skin once again and let out a satisfied breath at the pain it caused. 'I came here to show you what happens to people who mess with my family, I suppose some gloatin' may transpire' he said calmly, sensing her fear and feeding on it.

Selena knew that tone well and backed away slowly, she had not messed with anyone and she sure as hell would not allow him to blame her for something she had not done. 'Gail came to me, I didn't tell her anything and she cancelled anyway' she explained frantically, sensing his impatience with her.

Lucas stood up and pushed the chair back, then strolled to her casually and began to stalk her around the room. 'Cancelled? I guess I won't be reachin' for myself after all' he laughed amused.

Selena had heard the anger in Gail's tone when she called and usually she would allow Lucas to walk into whatever was happening blind; however, his visit here was concerning when he knew she was supposed to be with Gail, which meant he was throwing away his usual self control and she did not want to be the victim of his mischievous side. 'You need to call your wife' she stated seriously, not liking the dark look in his eyes.

'What I need to do is gain a much needed release of my pent up emotions apparently' he advised devilishly and continued to follow her around the room.

Selena backed up into the table, then placed a chair in front of her as a barrier and tried to create more distance between them.

'This is a first, you usually can't wait to get your hands on me Teacher' he smiled, savouring the smell of her fear.

'Something's happened, she wouldn't have cancelled otherwise...I'm telling you that you need to go home!' Selena shouted, knowing that she was powerless against him and he could devour her at any time.

Lucas stopped for a moment and allowed her words to sink in. Gail had not intended to be home early and she would never give him an empty threat; therefore, her cancellation of her dinner with Selena was curious. 'What did she say exactly?' he asked bluntly, irritated at his need to explore what Selena had brought up.

Selena thought for a moment, trying hard to remember the words in her terror and then smiled when they finally came to her. 'She said something's come up with the family, she didn't elaborate to me' she advised, watching him cautiously and unsure of whether to run or not.

Lucas stared at her with malice in his eyes, then his demeanour changed and he turned to leave. 'This ain't over Teacher, I'll be seeing you real soon' hewarned devilishly, before leaving the property and heading towards his car.

Selena let out a long relieved sigh and gulped hard when he finally left, hoping whatever was going on distracted him from her existence.

* * *

Gail lay on the couch in the study holding Luke tight to her chest and lay her head gently on his. Her Son had finally calmed down after his ordeal and nodded off to sleep, allowing her to reflect on what had happened in her mind. She sensed Lucas' presence as soon as his car pulled into the driveway and let out an exasperated sigh. Gail turned towards Rose, who was curled up with Gideon by the fireplace and smiled warmly at her bravery. The girl had done good and she was happy that someone had been here with Caleb, or who knows what would have happened.

'We takin' in all strays now?' Lucas asked sarcastically as he entered the room and glanced unimpressed towards Rose on the floor; however, his attitude changed when he saw the girl was shivering.

'You took your time, did you get what you needed from your whore?' Gail asked knowingly, not having the strength right now to even be mad at him. It was taking all of her control to keep her darkness at bay and if her emotions faltered even slightly, her darkness would take control and she had no idea what that would mean for the boys in her life.

Lucas sensed her forced calmness and approached her cautiously. When he saw her clinging to Luke protectively, he knelt down beside her and stroked his Sons head softly. 'Are you alright?' he whispered concerned, not wanting to disturb the clearly shaken child next to Gideon.

'Oh I'm peachy. We nearly lost our Son but for the actions of this young girl, but all's right in the world' Gail answered bitterly, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes in an attempt to control her anger.

Lucas glanced at Rose again, who couldn't stop shivering despite being next to a hot fire in the summer and released his twin instinctively to patrol their property.

'It's a bit late for that soulmate, the barriers are breached' Gail whispered calmly, then stood up carefully with Luke and went to Rose.

Lucas watched as Gail gently nudged Rose with her foot signalling for her to get up, then placed her arm protectively around the young girl and started heading out of the room. 'Where are you goin'?' he asked cautiously, sensing that he needed to tread carefully with her.

'We're going to bed, all three of us' she advised, forcing a warm smile for Rose.

'I don't wanna go up there' Rose said scared and clung to Gail tight.

Gail laughed and shook her head. 'It's alright, we have my loyal guardian coming with us and the Sheriff's down here to look out for us' she advised reassuringly, as Gideon got up and skulked towards them.

'Down here?' Lucas asked confused.

'Down here' Gail ordered coldly, then led Rose upstairs with her so they could attempt to get some sleep.

'You wanna get in here and fill me in on what I've missed?' Lucas asked the room in exasperation, then let out a long breath as Caleb entered nervously from where he was listening in the kitchen and sat down obediently beside him on the couch.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas awoke early in the morning in the spare bedroom that he used to use as a child, when his parents had been fighting. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed and stared at the ceiling in irritation, before sitting up abruptly and pulling on his pants. He headed through the hidden passages of his property and climbed the stairs that brought him to the door at the back of the walk in closet in his bedroom, he placed his ear to the door for a moment then let out a small laugh at his caution of disturbing his love when he was the Master of this domain and entered the room dominantly.

When Lucas popped his head out of the closet and turned towards his kingsize bed, he felt his rage surge through him at the sight of his love sleeping with both Luke and Rose protectively in her arms. Caleb had described what he had seen last night; however, the boy was clearly not privy to what truly happened and Lucas was disappointed in himself for not sensing the threat to his family.

'Not a threat, a warning' Gail whispered, as she manoeuvred the children gently off of her and got up quietly so not to disturb them.

Lucas pulled her into the walk in closet and closed the door over quietly, then grabbed her chin in his hand and kissed her forcefully. He was furious and if it had been anyone else shutting him out of his own bedroom, there would have been dire consequences; however, his anger was replaced by an overwhelming urge to embrace her, as she had somehow known to return home to the children when he had not and had managed to protect their family in the process.

'I'm not mad at you you know?' Gail sighed, when she was able to pull free of his grasp and rub the sleep out of her eyes.

'I should've been here-' Lucas started, annoyed at himself.

'We both should've been here and you should've been honest about what Malcolm was capable of' Gail interrupted, drained more by her concern about Luke rather than blaming Lucas outright for what had happened.

Lucas sensed her concern and considered her comment, then shook his head in disbelief. 'Malcolm wouldn't dare take me on like this' he advised, remembering how he had overpowered his old man effortlessly in the past to take on the power that he now had. Lucas had been much younger and less trained back then, so Malcolm had to be a complete fool if he thought he even stood a small chance against him.

'He's challenging me, not you and this isn't about Luke no matter how it's been made to look' Gail said quietly and stroked her stomach protectively.

Lucas regarded her carefully for a moment, then opened the closet door when he sensed an intrusion and stared at Caleb disapprovingly when he entered their bedroom and woke Luke up.

'A challenge against you is a challenge against me love' Lucas advised protectively, then stroked her cheek reassuringly and knelt down to kiss her stomach softly, before going to his eldest.

Gail watched as her husband apparently took control of the situation, then glanced over her shoulder at the dark figure watching them through the window and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation.

* * *

Matt strolled down the pier staring out into the water, holding his girlfriends hand as he walked. It had been a fairly quiet few months for him in Trinity, as he had been busy monitoring Gail's abnormal pregnancy; therefore, he had chosen to take the day off work and enjoy the hot weather like everyone else. Matt had managed to hold down a steady relationship with a beautiful young woman, despite his damaged life and he had experienced a sudden urge to show his beautiful girlfriend off, like any other proud man would.

'Are you sure you won't be missed?' Merlyn asked pleasantly, not used to being ushered away from her project and surprised by Matt's uncharacteristic spontaneous break from the hospital.

'I'm sure I will be missed, but screw it' he smiled affectionately at her, then leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips, past caring about who judged their age and just happy to be with her.

Merlyn let out a soft moan when his lips met hers and savoured the taste of his tongue in her mouth. She had started to worry about Matt's apparent lack of interest in her recently, with him being so engrossed in Gail's pregnancy; however, she sensed his desire for her radiating off of him and smiled at his sudden open affection for her.

'Well isn't this a surprise, it's nice to see you out in the real world as opposed to being cooped up in the dungeons of the hospital Doctor' Christie smiled warmly, as she approached the pair with Billy by her side who was pushing her daughters buggy.

'He's gotta get out sometime, how else is he going to tan that pale white skin of his?' Billy laughed and nodded towards his ex colleague, then smiled down at Lucy in her buggy.

Matt tensed at the interruption, then placed a soft kiss of M's nose before turning his attention towards Billy. 'It's nice to see you out and about, I can imagine being cooped up in Juniper doing the Sheriff's bidding must be tiresome' he said sarcastically and forced a smile, not happy with Billy's turn to Lucas' side.

'Meaning what?' Christie asked, confused by the comment.

Billy felt a wave of unease flow through him at Christie's sudden intrigue and closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the situation. Before he could address the comment, Matt answered for him and he knew that would not go well for him.

'I'm sorry, I thought you knew it was Lucas Buck who allowed him to get the job in Juniper, after he made god knows what deal with Gail' Matt advised nonchalantly, disregarding Merlyn's pinch at the information he had provided.

'Oh did he now?' Christie asked, unimpressed at her boyfriend's lack of transparency and stared at Billy accusingly.

'Thanks for the support man' Billy said sarcastically, knowing he was going to be in for a world of hurt and willing the ground to swallow him up.

'Hey folks, whatcha doin'?' Ben called casually, as he saw the group while he was patrolling the pier and wandered over. When he saw how tense Billy was and how quickly his friend rushed over to him, he knew he should have disregarded them and carried on.

'Morning Deputy, are you out doing your boss' bidding too? I guess no one stands a chance in this town with all the high ranking male professionals being controlled by the puppet master' Christie stated angrily, then shot Matt a warm look to indicate that she was not referring to him.

Ben's eyes grew wide and he stared at Billy for assistance, who just shrugged apologetically.

'Leave him alone' Merlyn ordered calmly, 'It ain't Ben's fault that you can't go after Lucas, or Dr Peel's for that matter'

Christie regarded the young girl coldly and took a few steps closer to her, then stopped in her tracks when Matt stood between them and took the girls hand in his protectively.

'Your beef isn't with M or Ben Christie, and it wasn't my intention to cause you upset' Matt advised warmly, regretting his earlier comments.

Christie stared at Matt affectionately, had she have made the right choices sooner it may have been her that had ended up with the only real trustworthy man in this town; however, she had not and she could not be mad at his girlfriend for trying to keep the peace. 'I'm not upset and I appreciate both of your candidness' she forced a smile, then shot Billy a distrustful look and walked away pushing Lucy's buggy with her.

Ben watched Christie walk away and let out a relieved smile. 'I don't know what I walked in on, but I'd hate to be in your shoes tonight' he patted Billy on the shoulder, then winked at Merlyn and continued on with his patrol.

'Once again, thank's for that man' Billy sighed unimpressed at Matt and followed Ben down the pier.

'Well, that was different' Merlyn laughed, then linked her arm in Matt's affectionately and rested her head on his shoulder as they continued casually with their walk.

* * *

Caleb sat on a bench under a large tree in a secluded area of the schoolyard, surveying the other children intently. He had not been allowed to speak to Rose earlier, as Gail split them up and decided to take her to School herself; therefore, he was eager to locate her and see if she blamed him for what had happened last night.

Everyone had been acting normal this morning, indicating that there was nothing wrong; however, Caleb was not naive to his parents behaviours and he sensed the underlying concern in both his Father and his Step Mom. Luke was fine, apart from being even more reluctant than usual to leave Gail's side and he suspected his younger Brother sensed the same concern that he did.

It was strange to think about how strong their link was as a family, especially considering how young Luke was and Caleb was reminded about how well his life had actually turned out, after his non biological Father had killed Merlyn and then himself. Caleb would never have believed at the beginning of all of this that he would end up in the current position that he was in; however, it had all worked out for the best and he had the perfect family unit now.

'And an abomination is comin' along to mess it all up' came a dark hiss from behind the tree, causing Caleb to stiffen.

'You leave me alone!' Caleb snapped, glancing around to ensure no one was watching him. 'What you did last night wasn't right and Luke coulda got hurt!'

'I didn't force that atrocity to crawl outta the room, all I did was loosen his cage' Malcolm grinned mischievously, amused at how his plan had turned out.

Caleb heard the malice in his dark friends voice and let out a long sigh at how he had described Luke, before turning back towards the schoolyard. 'It weren't right, you coulda got me trouble' he said moodily, then smiled when he spotted Rose walking out into the yard.

Rose sensed eyes on her and let off an involuntary shudder. She surveyed her surroundings and spotted Caleb waving at her from under a tree, then clutched the lunch bag Gail had given her and rushed towards the group of girls that she used to hang out with.

Caleb's smile faded when he spotted Rose run away from him and he sensed that she was avoiding him.

'See, this is what women do. You're gettin' the blame for somethin' you had no part of and that heathen you call Step Mom has poisoned your girl against you' Malcolm whispered, coming from behind the tree and looming over his Grandson.

'Gail wouldn't do that, she ain't mad at me' Caleb shook his head, trying his best to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

'You ain't hers boy, how can you be so blind? Your Daddy is drawn to her, she's got him good now but you're not that gullible and you are the true heir...You think she's gonna want you when her precious girl comes along?' Malcolm asked coldly, sensing the conflict in his Grandson and wanting to rile him up.

Caleb tried to push away the dark thoughts that began to plague his mind; however, when he glanced at Rose avoiding him in the distance, the darkness came flooding in.

'Atta boy, you know who you can truly count on' Malcolm smiled triumphantly, then disappeared as though he had never been there at all.

* * *

Lucas sat behind his desk in his office, staring at Luke curiously. He wondered whether his youngest Son knew the worry that his escape had caused, or how close he was to becoming really hurt. When Luke spotted his eyes on him and waved happily at him, he realised that the boy was oblivious to everything but his family and partly envied his position.

The door opening without permission brought him out of his thoughts and he stared up at the intrusion unimpressed, until his eyes rested on his love. She had not spoken much to him during breakfast and had left with Rose before he had finished in the shower, leaving him with both Caleb and Luke. As he looked her up and down, he admired her long toned legs that were visible beneath her short black floral dress and her large stomach that she was now unable to hide. She somehow appeared radiant even after the scare that she had endured the previous night and he inhaled deeply when her scent travelled to him.

Gail held Lucas' gaze for a moment, then knelt down and placed a tender kiss on her Sons forehead. She had needed to escape the boys in her life for a few hours, to give her space to think clearly and put things into perspective; however, a strong urge had come over her and she had found herself outside of her husbands office, not even remembering the journey over here.

Lucas watched her for a moment, then pressed the button on his desk to summon his staff. He smiled at Ben when he obediently entered, then signalled for him to take Luke and nodded his thanks, before walking around his desk and holding his hand out to his wife.

Gail smiled warmly at Ben when he picked up her Son carefully and left the office, then obediently took Lucas' hand and allowed him to help her up. 'I just wanted-'

'Who do I see?' Lucas whispered seductively, then leaned in closer and inhaled her scent fully.

Gail took in a long breath and stared deep into his eyes, she was furious and concerned all at the same time, not to mention uneasy due to what had happened the previous night; however, his close presence washed away all other feelings apart for her raw animal desire for him and she found herself craving his touch. 'I found something in the Wi-' she began to unburden herself, but he placed his thumb on her lips and began to stroke them gently.

'Shush love' he ordered, smiling when she instinctively took his thumb into her mouth and sucked it teasingly, then he knelt down slowly and began running his hands up the side of her bare legs appreciatively.

Gail held his gaze and bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She sensed his darkness just beneath the surface, suspecting he was ready for any attempt on her or their family and knew he needed a release of his pent up frustration just like she did. Gail allowed him stroke her legs, then let out a low moan when he trailed his lips up the inside of her thigh and tugged playfully at her lace panties with his teeth. She took a few steps back so she could sit back on his desk and allowed him to part her legs slowly, while he ripped her pants off effortlessly.

'You were sayin' you found somethin' in the Wicca Store?' Lucas asked curiously, now that he had her in his desired position.

Gail stared down at him confused for a moment, then gave herself a mental shake and let out a small laugh as she attempted to remember what she had been saying. 'I found a book' she confessed, wanting to be honest with him now while Malcolm was lurking around.

Lucas pondered for a moment as he gently teased her sweet spot with his thumb, then inhaled deeply when he heard her low moans. 'What kind of book?' he asked, casually running his lips over her sweet spot and nipping it playfully.

Small bursts of pleasure surged through Gail and she was finding it difficult to concentrate, she wanted him inside of her more than anything else at that moment and she did not understand why he was making conversation. 'More like a journal' she sighed in frustration, then whispered his name as he pushed two fingers inside of her suddenly.

'A journal you say?' he asked amused at her frustration and dipped a third finger inside of her gently. 'What's this so called journal about?'

Gail's breath became heavy as he teased her clitoris with his thumb while pushing his fingers deeper inside of her, she felt like she was going to explode and had to bite her lips hard to stop from calling out his name loudly. 'I haven't read yet' she panted, when she was confident that she could keep control of her volume.

Lucas watched triumphantly as she began to unravel before him, licking his lips when he felt her back arch and her orgasm come quickly. When she had finished he released his fingers and brought them to his mouth, needing to taste her. She tasted exquisite and he wanted to devour her sweet spot; however, he was intrigued by this journal that she had mentioned and why she had not read it, as her curiosity would usually have gotten the better of her by now.

'I thought it best to talk to you first, with it being your Mother and all' Gail advised as she let out a long satisfied breath, then she felt him come up quickly and push her back onto the desk.

'Since when do you hold back on somethin' that may be of value in your investigations?' Lucas asked curiously, as he unzipped his pants and pulled her legs around his waist.

'Since you said we're in this together Darlin'' she smirked teasingly in her best southern accident, then let out a loud moan as he thrust his hard manhood inside of her.

Lucas was impressed with her decision to push down her Reporter instincts and allow her loyalty to him take over her integrity, he had been waiting a long time for her to prove that she was truly able to be trusted with his secrets and this subtle gesture was more important than she could ever have realised. He put his thoughts to one side for a moment, wanting to focus solely on their intimate connection and moved his hands beneath her dress, stroking her stomach on the way up her body and squeezing her large breasts hard.

Gail called out at the intense pleasure and pain as he played with her breasts, stroking her nipples with his thumb. She scraped her long nails down his back as she felt him fill her, then moved her hands to his face and pulled him down for a passionate kiss.

Lucas pounded in and out of her roughly, sensing her raw desire for him and kissed her forcefully. He continued to punish her in the way he knew she needed and bit down hard on her neck as his climax hit violently and he exploded within her.

Gail buried her head in his shoulder as she came with him, then smiled when she felt his tongue licking the fresh wound on her neck that he had just made. 'One of these days people are going to question these marks' she panted, still trying to catch her breath.

'I'd love to see the brave soul who dares to question my wife' Lucas advised, as he ran his nose over hers affectionately and kissed her lips softly.

'I doubt we'd be seeing them for long' she said sweetly when he released her lips, then stroked his face tenderly and stared deep into his eyes.

'The journal, where is it?' Lucas asked curiously, his mind going back to the subject now that they had gotten their release.

Gail thought for a moment, then glanced at her backpack that she discarded on the floor by the door and regarding him suspiciously.

Lucas kissed the tip of her nose softly, then gently pulled out of her and began to dress. He knelt down and rummaging in her bag without asking permission, then brought out the small black book and turned it over in his hands.

Gail sat up and straightened her dress, watching him curiously and wanting so much to attempt to read his thoughts. She had decided to be honest; therefore, she would not pry and just waited patiently for him to come back to her.

Lucas sensed her curiosity and smiled when she remained silent. 'You're gonna leave this Malcolm situation to me, do you understand?' he ordered, then opened the book and smiled sadly when he recognised his Mothers writing.

Gail had never seen Lucas drop his guard unless it came to her or his Mother, she sensed the sadness in him for only a moment and then her confident husband returned to the surface. 'I'll leave him to you' she answered his order obediently, when she could see that he had returned to his usual self.

'Then I'll leave this to you' he said forcing a trusting tone, then handed her the journal against his better judgement and pulled her to him for a passionate kiss.

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

Christie stood outside the large institution staring up at the structure suspiciously. She had never noticed before but the people around this establishment had a strange detachment, avoiding eye contact with one another and going about their business with an almost naive oblivion. She cursed herself for not spotting this on the other occasions that she had met Billy here, the place was off and she was just starting realise it.

'Matt Crower mentions Lucas Buck's name in connection with a place and you can't stay away...if I didn't know better I'd say you're obsessed with my husband' Gail accused sarcastically, as she strolled up to Christie and stared up at the monstrosity that was Juniper House.

Christie froze at the sound of Gail's voice, her friend had not really spoken to her since the slander article she had written about the Sheriff's chosen candidate for Mayor and she was taken aback by her sudden appearance. 'Did Billy go running to his friend for help?' Christie asked, more catty than she had intended.

'Unlike you and your incessant obsession with my husband, I have no interest in your boyfriend and what he's doing...I have sources all over Trinity and it didn't take them long to point out your sudden curiosity in this place' Gail advised, glancing at her friend and waiting for a childish outburst.

'I'm not the one who's hiding things!' Christie snapped, then spoke the questions that had been flowing through her mind out loud. 'Why did he get Billy this job? What could possibly be in it for him? And why is everyone so damn detached around here?'

Gail rolled her eyes when Christie did not disappoint with her outburst, she had hoped her friend had let her vendetta against Lucas go; however, it appeared not and Gail was becoming frustrated with their inability to play nice with each other. 'I got the job for Billy after the last incompetent Head Doctor died, Lucas let it happen because he wanted to please me and people are detached as it's a mental hospital, not somewhere you come to take care of little puppies' she answered the question sarcastically and laughed at her friend in disbelief of her naivety.

Christie did not appreciate being made fun of, especially by her best friend and she was starting to doubt Gail's moral principles.

'You know what I don't appreciate?' Gail asked calmly, reading her mind. 'Being forced to cover an election when I have no interest in politics and have enough other projects to deal with, but I didn't have a choice after my friend screwed me over with her fluff piece'

Christie's eyes opened wide for a moment, then she looked apologetically at Gail. 'Look, I didn't intend to slander the man, it just happened! I don't know what came over me and I certainly didn't mean to make more work for you' she advised honestly.

'But you thought coming here to dig up some make believe dirt on my husband was going to make less work for me? Or did you really think I'd have no idea what you were up to?' Gail asked in disbelief.

Christie attempted to dig herself out of the hole she had found herself in; however, she could not find the right words to assist her. 'He's corrupt Gail and this place-'

'I already tore this Town apart when I was suspicious of his character Christie, for God's sake keep up!' Gail snapped, growing tired of her supposed competent Reporter friend rehashing her old investigations.

Christie felt her heart sink when Gail's voice changed, she had heard that tone before and did not like being on the receiving end. 'Well maybe a fresh here look will-'

'Do absolutely nothing' Gail finished her sentence irritated. 'I found the skeletons here Christie, all of them and the management here was corrupt as hell. I challenged the Head Doctor, we got into it a few times and then the man died before I could bring his corruptness to light...Why would rehashing the past be worth anybody's time now? The only people it's going to hurt is the mans family, who have got nothing to do with this'

Christie inhaled deeply, then shook her head and turned to face her friend head on. 'One man can't run a whole Town by himself Gail, there's something rotten here and he's at the core'

Gail felt her darkness just beneath her surface, clawing to be released at Christie's constant attacks on Lucas. She sensed Christie was going to do something stupid and she could not allow that to happen, not now or ever. Suddenly a flashback to her wedding day came to her and she saw the blood dripping down from her hands onto her extravagant white gown. The horror of what she was capable off caused her to push her darkness right down and she took a deep breath to control her dark urges. 'I'm only going to say this once and I won't have any more said on the matter' she advised in a pleasant tone, forcing her demeanour to remain calm.

Christie stared at Gail cautiously, seeing a strange flicker in her eyes and suddenly feeling uneasy.

When Gail was sure she had Christie's full attention, she took a step closer to her and stared deep into her eyes. 'A challenge against him is a challenge against me, continue at your own peril but I assure you that you won't win' she warned in a sinister calm tone and allowed the words to sink into her friends brain.

Christie tried to hold Gail's gaze; however, her body began to shiver and she had to turn away. When she regained her composure and turned back towards her friend, she saw that Gail had disappeared and she let off an involuntary shudder as she considered her warning carefully.

* * *

Lucas held Luke's hands up to the sky, as his son used his assistance to stand on the bonnet of his navy blue Crown Victoria. After a tedious late afternoon lunch with Billy, he had driven straight here knowing that Gail would not want him to deal with Christie until he had calmed down.

The end of School bell sounded and Luke jumped up and down excitedly, not knowing what the loud sound meant. Lucas lifted his youngest son up onto his shoulders and turned towards the direction of the fleeting children, then smiled as he heard Luke squeal when he caught sight of his older Brother in the distance.

Caleb heard Luke's squeal as soon as he exited the building and made his way towards his Fathers car obediently. He was not feeling his usual self after his lunch break earlier; however, he did not want to bring his Fathers attention to his dark thoughts and tried to keep his demeanour welcoming. 'Since when do you pick me up with Luke?' he asked, as he approached his family casually.

'Since his Mother needed to clear her head after he nearly split his skull open on the stairs of our home' Lucas replied bluntly, unimpressed by the question.

'That would never have happened, she's just overreactin'' Caleb said under his breath, then gave Luke a hug before entering the front passenger side of the car.

Lucas watched his eldest carefully, instantly sensing the dark aura radiating off of him, then picked up Luke and secured him in his car seat before getting behind the wheel of the car. 'You learn anythin' worth while in School today?' Lucas asked in an uninterested tone, as he turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the small parking lot.

'Somethin' about biology and plants...Miss Coombs asked if I wanted to be in charge of a cactus' Caleb answered quietly, staring out of the window at the people they passed.

'What did you say?' Lucas asked curiously.

'That I have a garden full of plants and a Step Mom who looks after them' Caleb shrugged and continued looking out of the window.

Lucas sensed that there was something wrong and he did not have the patience for this right now when he had Malcolm to deal with, in addition to the incessant Christie; therefore, he took a right turn and headed towards Johnson's Bridge, deciding his boys needed some fresh air.

Caleb spotted that they were not going in the direction of their home and turned towards Lucas suspiciously. When his Father just smiled pleasantly back at him, he sat back in his seat and wondered where they were heading.

Lucas did not push for conversation, he sat silently as he headed towards his desired destination and considered his options with Christie. When they reached Johnson's Bridge, he signalled for Caleb to get out of the car and he released Luke, then held him close to his chest. 'Did I ever tell you about your Step Mom's fascination with water?' he asked casually, rocking Luke gently to soothe him when he tried to escape his grasp.

Caleb let out a long sigh at the mention of Gail and just shook his head.

'Fire is my big obsession and she is drawn to that too, but she is fixated on water...I suppose it makes sense with how well we go together' Lucas shrugged, pondering over their connection silently.

'Surely that just means she runs over you like a current' Caleb said coldly, not wanting to think about Gail any longer.

'On the contrary, she makes me thrive. I'm fire, she's water and what that means is she can get a handle on me in ways that others can't when I lose control...to put me out so to speak' Lucas smiled devilishly and strolled slowly down the wooden walkway.

Caleb spotted some children on the far side of the Bridge and smiled when he realised one of them was Rose. He wanted to run to her, craving her attention; however, he remembered that she was avoiding him and just continued walking next to his Father moodily. 'Why would you need someone to put you out?' he asked, sensing his Father wanted to engage him.

''Cause there are dark forces all around us son and if I truly lost control, the whole Town would likely go up in flames and burn to the ground' Lucas explained, then gently placed Luke on the ground and nodded his gratitude when Caleb took his Brothers other hand to enable him to walk between them.

'I thought you liked to lose control once in a while' Caleb shrugged and continued to watch Rose from a distance.

'I do and she's good for that too' Lucas smirked to himself, then glanced down the Bridge at Rose and let out a long sigh. 'You really should look to get someone like Gail to reel you in, it saves everyone a whole host of trouble' he suggested and watched his son carefully.

Caleb stopped and stared up at Lucas confused. 'I don't know what you mean' he advised, not liking the direction this conversation was turning.

Lucas could smell Malcolm on his eldest and he was trying to keep his fury under control; however, the fact that his boy had not volunteered the information was only increasing his anger, especially when Malcolm was clearly gunning for Gail. 'Our true connections are what separates us from the animals and reprobates son. Although outside forces may seem like harmless allies and offer what appears to be good counsel, things are never truly what they seem' he explained calmly, then released his twin and let out a long sigh as he heard the children at the other end of the Bridge scream in terror.

The sound of Rose's screams pierced through Caleb's brain and his mouth dropped open in shock, as he saw a small area of the walkway break away from underneath her feet and she was sucked below. 'Rose!' he screamed in an animal like raw and started running towards her; however, his Father gripped the collar of his shirt and held him in place effortlessly.

'Oh look at that, your favourite treasure appears to be in danger due to powers beyond your control' Lucas smirked, allowing his twin free reign to have his fun and watching the carnage amused.

Caleb felt his rage fly to the surface as he was prevented from helping his friend. He watched as the other children reached for her hands, then the area they stood on dropped into the water and they were left hanging in the same position. 'Let go of me!' Caleb ordered frantically, struggling in an attempt to loosen his Father's grip.

The fact that Caleb believed he may be able to overpower him and break free of his grasp was amusing to Lucas, Caleb was yelling out like a spoilt child and it only proved that he was not ready for the power that was building up inside of him. Luke on the other hand was a completely different specimen, his youngest was watching the whole show with wide eyes and clapped happily each time one of the children fell through the Bridge walkway. Luke sensed a faint darkness forming in his youngest already and could not hold in his pride at how well the boy was coming along at such a young age.

'Lucas!' Caleb screamed, when his Father remained silent and appeared to be ignoring him. He tried again to release his darkness when he sensed Rose's grip slipping and she began to cry; however, that dark part of him was trapped.

Lucas made Caleb watch powerless for a moment longer, wanting him to truly understand what he would be up against if he sided with Malcolm, then spun him around to face him and gripped his chin tight in his hands. 'Now, can you imagine how uncomfortable it was for me to watch my favourite treasure fall down a flight a stairs and miscarry our first child? All due to the actions of my first born son when he was stricken with jealousy over an unborn sibling?' he asked coldly, choosing not to shield his eldest in any way anymore.

Caleb's eyes grew wide at the comment and he suddenly felt scared. His Father had never brought this up to him before and something dark flashed over Lucas' eyes, indicating that Caleb should chose his response carefully. 'I sorr-'

'Fast forward to a year or so ago when my first born decided that he was jealous of the attention my treasure was getting and made another move on her, albeit not expecting her own talents to shine through and come to the rescue' Lucas interrupted, not caring for an apology.

Caleb closed his eyes when he heard Rose scream again, sensing she had no strength left; however, he remained still and stared into his Fathers hazel eyes obediently, knowing that he was supposed to remain here.

Lucas continued to hold Caleb's gaze, sensing his sons sinking feeling at the thought of losing his recent obsession and just smiled dominantly at him. 'Now let's skip forward again to the present, where my love has taken on the role of Mother to all of my children' he continued, feeding off the screams of terror coming from the children and amused as he still sensed Luke's fascination with it all. 'Imagine how it must feel knowin' my first born can switch sides at the drop of a hat and why? Because he's feelin' left out? Or because he somehow believes that the woman who uprooted her successful life in Charleston to take care of him when she hadn't even met him before, was goin' to push him out of the family and abandon him...Have I got those motives right?' Lucas asked knowingly.

Caleb suddenly sensed his Father's fury and cursed himself for not being aware of it earlier. He felt a strong urge to call out to his dark friend for help; however, he was smarter than that and now understood what his Father was doing. 'I wouldn't do anythin' to her even if I wanted to...how could I with you around?' he snapped, choosing to tackle the accusations head on with honesty.

Lucas let out a long breath when he finally got an honest answer from his son and regarded him calmly. 'I wouldn't come into play with this, I couldn't...How would I ever chose between my soulmate and my first born son? Gail would never expect me to pick sides' he advised truthfully, watching his sons reaction to the statement carefully.

Caleb tuned out the screams from the far end of the Bridge and pondered over the statement from his Father, he had never thought about it that way before and his darkness began to stir. 'Gideon would come into play, he'd never allow anythin' to happen to her' he stated, thinking out loud.

'What else?' Lucas asked curiously, suddenly impressed by his sons ability to think under pressure.

Caleb thought for a moment, disregarding his dark friends attempt to get his attention and feeling a strong need to show his Father how smart he was. 'Gail, she's like us but I don't know how. She's stopped me before and I ain't strong enough yet' he said quietly.

Yet, Lucas picked up on the word instantly and decided to help his son along, to make him understand once and for all that he could not be Malcolm's puppet no matter how much the irritating ass tried to convince him to be. 'You're missin' the big one son, it's well hidden but the most dangerous of things always are' he smiled and waited for his eldest to figure it out.

Caleb stared at his Father confused, then realised that they had both let go of Luke's hand and he was suddenly concerned of the whereabouts of his Brother. Caleb glanced around frantically and spotted Luke sat peacefully further down the Bridge, watching the chaos that had befallen the other children curiously. His Brother was fixated on the scene and could not take his eyes off of the terrified children. He had never noticed it before, but he sensed now that there was something calculating about his Brother and that suddenly concerned him. 'Luke-' he started.

'Would never allow anythin' to happen to his Mom, not from the likes of you and he ain't even two years old yet' Lucas advised proudly, then leaned in closer to Caleb and regarded him coldly. 'Do me a favour before you go jumpin' through hoops for that new friend of yours, ask him about what happened when I found my Mom after he had finished with her and remind him that any instigated action against my prize treasure is a far greater betrayal than that, which will be punished accordingly'

Caleb held his Fathers gaze for a moment longer, then sensed his hold on him lift. He regarded him cautiously for a moment, sensing the threat against his dark friend was serious and took a few steps back, before turning towards the chaos which had quietened at the other side of the Bridge. He ran quickly towards where Rose had been when his Father released him, staring at the empty hole in the walkway where she had hung and felt his heart sink at the thought of her falling in and drowning.

'It's a good job that I'm aware of what my boys are getting up to most of the time isn't it?' Gail asked sarcastically and touched his shoulder reassuringly, before turning him towards the road and pointing at her Mustang.

Caleb allowed himself to be controlled as despair flooded through his whole body, then took in a sharp intake of breath when he spotted Rose sat on the bonnet of the car with a blanket wrapped around her and being tended to by Adam, Gail's candidate for the Mayor. 'Did you?' was all he could muster up, feeling himself becoming overwhelmed and tears began to form in his eyes.

Gail stared down at him concerned at what was going on, then pulled him to her chest lovingly and rested her cheek on his head gently. 'Shhh, don't do that here' she whispered, not wanting him to show any weakness in front of Lucas.

Caleb sensed her thoughts and swallowed hard, then took a deep breath to calm himself and stared up at her curiously. 'Why'd you always help me?' he asked, wondering if she would if she knew what he had been thinking about her.

'Because we're family and some interfering ass with a grudge against women is not going to break us' she advised knowingly, then pushed him gently in the direction of her car and smiled as he instinctively ran to Rose.

Lucas came up behind his love holding Luke against his hip and stroked her back slowly, before wrapping his free hand around her stomach and kissing her cheek affectionately.

'Do I need to know why you put all of children in danger?' she asked quietly, feeling nauseous at the scene that she had stumbled across after sensing an anomaly with her family.

'Would you believe me if I said it was for the greater good?' he asked sarcastically, knowing all along that she would sense his twin being release as he did not shield his actions and that she would get here on time, before the matter got completely out of control.

Gail let out a long sigh and shook her head disapprovingly at his actions, then placed a soft kiss on her husbands lips before taking Luke and heading towards her car.

-To be continued-


	4. Chapter 4

Matt opened the blinds in his office and shook his head disapprovingly when he saw the group of children in the reception area, waiting to be seen to. He had been called into the Hospital due to accident that had befallen the children on Johnson's Bridge and he did not like the fact that the Buck family were in the vicinity when it occurred.

'Remind we again of how you ended up there?' Matt asked Gail, concerned how the ordeal may impact her pregnancy.

Gail had helped escort some of the children to the Hospital, along with Adam. She had ordered Lucas to steer clear of the incident due to her recent conversation with Christie and had decided to wait with the children while there parents made their way to the Hospital; however, she had not accounted for Matt's concern over her, or that he would force her into an examination before he saw to the children. 'I had lunch with Adam after an irritating conversation with Christie about my husband, which you instigated might I add. We decided to head somewhere away from prying eyes to go over his final campaign strategy and we stumbled across the children at Johnson's Bridge. Naturally, I couldn't lift all of the children in my condition so I focused on helping Rose, while Adam got the rest of the children to safety'

'And what was Caleb doing there? He's not in the waiting area to be examined' Matt asked curiously, ignoring her comment about Christie and perching on his desk in front of Gail's seat.

'He was with Lucas and Luke...my boys were taking a relaxing stroll after School' she answered without hesitation, not allowing the question to faze her.

Matt nodded slowly as he tried to figure out what had happened and considered her words carefully. 'And Lucas was there the whole time? Did he try to assist?' he asked, unable to hide his suspicion.

Gail inhaled deeply and forced herself to remain calm, not allowing his suspicion to cause an overreaction from her. 'We were in cars, he was on foot at the opposite side of the Bridge with a 13 year old and 1 year old child...I imagine even Lucas Buck would struggle to reach the other children in time in that scenario' she said sweetly and smiled pleasantly at him.

Matt regarded her suspiciously for a moment, then let out a long sigh. 'I worry about how much you do you know? You need to slow down' he ordered concerned.

'You need to slow down' she replied defensively, 'Weren't you supposed to be spending the day with M away from the Hospital?'

Matt let out a small laugh and shook his head. 'It appears that I'm the only competent Doctor in this Town' he shrugged, wishing he was still out with M.

'Well I won't deny that' she laughed and stood up carefully, then sat on the desk beside him. 'You've checked me out and I'm assuming I'm fine, so why don't you just leave here with me? I know where M will be and I'm heading that way anyway, she'd be so happy if you surprised her again today' she suggested, sensing his desire for her cousin and it made her smile. She was happy that their relationship was still working out well, they both deserved some true happiness in their lives and while they were good for each other, she wanted to get him away from the incident with the children so Lucas did not feel the need to interfere with her best friend.

Matt pondered over her suggestion for a moment, then shook his head when he thought of the injured children. 'I can't just leave Gail, they need me here' he sighed, hating his dependability.

Gail stroked his back softly, then leaned in close and decided to try a different tactic. 'Speaking as a woman who very much savours the company of her man, I can assure you that M needs you more than any silly child does right now' she whispered teasingly and smiled when she felt him tense under her touch.

Matt felt a surge of pleasure flow through him and leaned back into her hand, then stood up abruptly when he spotted Lucas leaning against his closed office door with his arms folded over his chest and stared at his feet guiltily.

'Am I interruptin' somethin' love?' Lucas asked flatly, unimpressed at what he had walked in on and using all of his strength to control his rage at the sight of his wife close to his adversary.

Gail got up and approached her husband slowly, then caressed his cheek softly before trailing her thumb over his lips seductively. 'We were just heading out soulmate' she said sweetly, then placed a long kiss on his lips while signalling for Matt to leave his office before her husband started on him.

Lucas grabbed Gail's arm when she pulled away and started to follow her friend, then pulled her back to him possessively and wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her with him.

'Unless you want to be linked to what happened, you'll let me work Master Buck' she teased cunningly as she stared deep into his eyes, then pulled her arm free and followed Matt out of the Hospital.

Lucas watched longingly as she walked away from him, then pushed down his rage back down. He sensed that she understood he would not have let the children get fatally injured, otherwise she would not be distracting Harvard from the incident. He decided to let her work her magic and headed towards the children, so his townspeople knew their caregiver was still watching over them.

* * *

Caleb sat in front of the old gargoyle statue, staring at it suspiciously. He had requested for his Father to take him home as he wanted time to think alone, and was pleasantly surprised when his Father adhered to his wishes.

Caleb had paced the main garden of the grounds, disregarding the voice that was calling him to the back of the property. After much consideration of what had happened at Johnson's Bridge, he understood what his Father had made him experience and he wanted to sort through his conflicting feelings before anyone came home.

The thought of losing Rose had been too much to bare, he could only imagine this to be a fraction of what Lucas would feel if he lost Gail. The conversations that he had taken place with his dark friend played over in his mind and a wave of disappointment came over him, at the thought of how easily he had been convinced to turn against Gail. She had reached out to him on their family vacation, clearly sensing his conflict and worry over the new baby; however, he had since chosen to believe that she did not care about him and all it had taken was a few simple words from a person that he did not even know properly.

'You're as soft as your Daddy' Malcolm hissed, standing at the far end of the garden and willing the boy to come to him.

Caleb turned his attention away from the gargoyle, which was supposed to ward away evil spirits if Gail had told him correctly, then stood up and moved towards the middle of the garden. 'My Daddy ain't soft, he told me to remind you of his Mom' he called to the dark figure, not wanting to engage him fully.

'Your Daddy has a soft spot for women, always has. His Mom was no exception and his loyalty to her above me could not go unpunished' Malcolm laughed wickedly, then edged closer to Caleb and forced a warm demeanour.

Caleb could see his friend more clearly in the grounds of his home, previously he had appeared as a dark figure; however, now he saw the old man in his true form. 'You punished my Daddy?' he asked confused, unable to stop himself from moving closer to the old man. He reminded Caleb of Abe and he suddenly felt a strange sort of trust towards him.

'I punished his Mom, she shoulda known better than to temp him away from me...There's no room for women in our family boy, they poison everythin'' Malcolm smiled, edging ever closer to his Grandson and sensing the boys desire to know more.

'Punished is a strong understatement, you flayed the skin off of her body while she was still alive then threw her into the fire like she was nothin' more than a damaged rag doll' Lucas said venomously, as he appeared behind Caleb and pulled him away from Malcolm's grasp.

Caleb jumped at the sudden appearance of his Father, then watched as his friend began to retreat; however, Gideon pounced from behind a tree and blocked off his escape, sensing this apparition meant his Master harm.

'Your Mom-' Caleb started, feeling sick at what his Father had just said about his Mother.

'Is none of your concern, but I appreciate your help in draggin' this germ out into the open Son' Lucas praised him, ensuring Caleb was aware that his anger was not directed at him.

'You used him, your own Son. See what he is boy? He's so clouded by his need to protect his woman that he'd sell you out in a heartbeat' Malcolm yelled, as he spotted Gideon closing the distance and tried to think of a way to get out of this trap.

'You think I'd sell you Son?' Lucas asked Caleb casually, but did not take his eyes off of Malcolm.

'No Sir' Caleb answered obediently, then moved closer to his Father and regarded Malcolm cautiously. 'What did you do to him after you found your Mom?' he asked, curious as to what secrets these two both held.

Lucas laughed devilishly and placed his arm around Caleb's shoulder affectionately, then walked closer to Malcolm. 'Enough to satisfy my urge for revenge, but not anywhere near what I'm gonna do to him now for interferrin' with our family' he advised wickedly, then pulled out the small knife that Malcolm had used to cut up his Mother and showed it to Caleb.

'I knew it!' Christie snapped uncontrollably, staring through the large gate at the side of the property. She had followed the Sheriff here after she spotted him coming out of the Hospital and had finally witnessed him seriously threaten someone.

Malcolm laughed loudly and disappeared when Lucas' control over him faltered momentarily. Lucas stared furiously at the empty space where Malcolm had just been, then turned towards Christie and felt all of his rage directed at her.

Christie saw the homicidal look in his eyes and instinctively ran towards her car. She finally had what she required and needed to find someone to share what she had witnessed before the Sheriff could catch up to her.

Caleb sensed his Fathers rage and grabbed his arm to stop him from doing something unwise, then jumped back when she spotted the dark look in his eyes. 'Daddy don't, I'll go get Gail and-'

'Go' Lucas ordered calmly, keeping his rage caged until he could release it on his intended target and not wanting Caleb to get caught in the crossfire.

'But your water-' Caleb tried to reason, sensing this was not going to end well due to the strong rage that was radiating off of his Father and suspecting Gail was the only one that could talk him down.

'Go!' Lucas yelled cutting off his Son's sentence, then turned towards his boy with a look of malice in his eyes. 'Don't you dare tell her what you've seen...you're loyal to me boy' he warned dominantly, then watched as Caleb ran out of the garden without any hesitation and just kept running.

Lucas turned his attention towards Gideon to see if the mutt was going to interfere, then smiled wickedly when the dog was smart enough to skulk away into the shadows of his property and leave him to deal with the thorn in his side. He inhaled deeply and let the full power of his rage flow through him, as he began to walk slowly in the direction that Christie ran.

* * *

Gail stared at the small black book that rested on the large desk in front of her, not sure how to go about this. She had dropped Matt off with Merlyn as she had promised and now she sat in a quiet room on the first floor of the Wicca Store, trying to muster up the courage to open the book. She should be writing her article on the incident at Johnson's Bridge, knowing that she was the only Reporter aware of what happened there; however, she could not stop thinking about the book and now that Lucas had given her permission to read it, she found herself being cautious which was unlike her.

'You really think that book is the answer to all of your concerns?' Peter Emory asked curiously, as he leaned against the wall with his hands folded over his chest.

'I think you really should go before my husband finds out I've been entertaining your presence here and decides to intervene' she sighed and rubbed her ever expanding stomach gently.

Peter regarded her carefully, knowing he had to handle her with care if he wanted to stick around and chose to remain at a distance that would not make her feel crowded, or uncomfortable. He had come here to protect her if required and now he did not want to leave his little girl. 'That bastard has got his Father so why can't you have yours? Besides, you like me bein' around, I'm family' he stated casually and continued to watch her closely.

He was not wrong, Gail could not deny that having her Father here had it's benefits no matter how much he had failed her as a child. He had brought her attention to Malcolm when both Caleb and Lucas kept him hidden from her, he also had never threatened her or her children like Malcolm had and may actually protect her if it ever came to that.

'I've always protected you' Peter advised, reading her thoughts.

Gail held her arm up where the cigarette burn was clearly visible and did not say a word. When he appeared to have been silenced by her gesture, she leaned forward and ran her fingers down the book carefully. 'There won't be anything about what I'm carrying in here, all evidence indicates that there has never been a female in that bloodline' she said quietly, thinking our loud.

Peter knew she was not talking to him, but felt it was his place to engage her so she could hash this out in the open. 'Just because there's never been one documented, doesn't mean she never existed. You can't be the only woman to uproot the Buck lineage, you're my special girl but surely there must've been another' he offered, giving her something to ponder over.

Gail was not the only one to shake up the Buck line, that was something she already knew. Her past self Rosemary had gotten under the skin of the Lucas of her time, Gail had experienced the visions first hand of the intimacy and passion that they shared. She also experienced how it felt to drown in the Trinity River, when she discovered Rosemary's cousin had coveted what she had and killed her.

Gail had not wanted to experience any more of her past life after discovering Rosemary was pregnant when she died, disregarding her usual determination to find out the whole truth. It had been too hard and too strange for her to fully comprehend her true connection to Lucas; therefore, she had just embraced him after that, not needing to know what led up to Rosemary's untimely death.

Peter was surprised that she was not keeping her thoughts guarded, it indicated that she was beginning to trust him; therefore, he did not react when she let slip her true connection to Lucas Buck, no matter how disturbed he was by it. Peter had not been aware of this Rosemary, he had only heard the name previously as Gail liked to refer to the strange darkness inside of herself by this name and this revelation was concerning.

'It's not your place to be concerned, you're dead' Gail said bluntly, reading his thoughts.

Peter let out a long sigh at the remark and approached the desk slowly. 'Just open the book, you're not a coward and maybe it'll give you somethin' to go on' he suggested, sensing dwelling on this past person named Rosemary was not wise at this time.

'Or maybe it'll give you something to hold against my husband' she stated accusingly, then pushed the book over to him gently. 'Go on, I'm interested to see if you can actually open it'

Peter stared down at her angrily, not liking her lack of respect for him and then forced a smile. 'You know I can't, we're in a Wicca Store and the woman was a witch'

'So was Rosemary' Gail pondered out loud, then pulled the book back towards her and turned it over curiously in her hand.

Peter watched as her curiosity got the better of her and she began to open the book slowly; however, a strong gust of wind came blowing through the open window and slammed the book closed. 'What the hell?' he asked surprised, then glanced around the room to ensure that they were still alone.

Gail felt a shadow of threat come over her and she stood up abruptly, then closed her eyes when a sharp bolt of pain surged through her stomach. 'Something's wrong...did you do something?' she asked him accusingly, unsure why she suddenly felt the urge to leave.

Peter shook his head honestly and reached out to Malcolm, their connection was still strong due to the amount of time they had spent together in the Buck Mansion and that was how he knew that he was targeting his little girl. He hoped the man would not dare try to get at his Gail while she was in his presence and was ready to jump in if he showed his face; however, the information received was not about her and a devilish grin formed on his face. 'Nothin's wrong Popet, you're just paranoid. Sit down, you look tired' he ordered in a warm caring tone, not wanting her to mistake his order as a threat like it used to be when she was younger.

Gail stared at him suspiciously, not trusting his words and opened up her minds eye to locate her husband. When she was unable to pin point his location, she changed the search to someone who was not as skilled in shielding his thoughts and found Caleb sitting on the grass outside of Rose's house, apparently waiting for his friend. She was going to read his thoughts, then shook off her distrust and chose to listen to her Father. She had hardly slept last night after the incident with Luke and she supposed she may be a little jumpy due to the situation.

'Atta girl' Peter praised her and pointed at the chair she had been resting on previously. 'You sit down and rest your legs some, everythin' will be clear when you're well rested'

Gail pushed aside her unease and relaxed back into the chair as her Father had suggested, then picked up the small black book and started to read.

* * *

Christie sped down the quiet streets in the hopes of finding anybody that she could talk to; however, there were no residents in sight. She turned onto the long road which headed into the Town centre and eased her foot off the gas pedal when she realised that there was no navy blue Crown Victoria following her. She replayed what she had heard through her mind to ensure that she was not overreacting and smiled when she realised that she had finally gotten him.

'You bastard, there's no denying the threat...you even had a knife and a child as a witness!' she exclaimed to herself and laughed at finally being able to prove that she was not crazy.

'That's not exactly proof though is it Darlin'? You think my Son will verify your unhinged claims?' Lucas appeared in her backseat, his eyes shining bright green as he allowed his twin to show.

Christie screamed at the sight in her rearview mirror and lost control of her car, causing it to skid violently to the side and propel into the air when it hit a large rock on the side of the road. She held onto the steering wheel tight and let out a pained scream when she felt her leg snap as the car landed upside down on the road, then cried out when the glass of the drivers side window shattered and cut her arm.

When her vision had cleared, she glanced behind her instinctively and ignored the pain in her neck; however, there was no one in the backseat. She wondered whether the Sheriff had not been wearing a seat belt and was somehow thrown from the car, then began to cry at the thought of having to break this news to her best friend that she may have killed her husband.

'I don't know what'd be worse for you, me dealin' with you or Gail's reaction if she thought that you'd actually killed me' Lucas pondered as he bent down to address her through the smashed drivers side window, amused that she had believed it would be that easy to get rid of him.

Christie screamed in frustration and terror at the situation she had found herself in. She tried to struggle free of her seat belt, then let out a pained yell when the seat belt came free on it's own and she crashed down to the ground hard.

'Come on Christie...I think we need a conversation' Lucas advised charmingly, then pulled her out of the car roughly and dragged her into the woods at the side of the road.

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

Caleb sat outside of Rose's house, waiting patiently for her to come out. There were other more safe places he could have run to like his Sister; however, he wanted to be with his friend and he wanted to protect her if his Fathers rage found it's way to them.

'Go away, I'm tryin' to rest' Rose called from her bedroom window above him and threw a stuffed bear at his head.

Caleb was not prepared for the assault; therefore, his reflexes were not quick enough and the bear hit him right between the eyes, before bouncing off and rolling onto the grass. 'Come out! I'm sick of you avoidin' me' he shouted as he rubbed his forehead, not caring if her Mother heard them.

Rose glanced over her shoulder towards her Mother, who was staring disapprovingly at her through the bedroom door and just shoved past her, then headed down the stairs to address her friend. 'I ain't avoidin' you' she snapped, as she slammed the door closed. 'I just wanted some space, then all this happened'

Caleb smiled when she did not appear to be mad at him and rushed towards her. 'I like space, but somethin's goin' on and I don't wanna be alone, or want you alone for that matter'

'Don't be so dramatic, all that's goin' on is your little Brother is a tyrant who likes to scare girls and you're just jealous of the new baby' Rose shrugged, then linked her arm in his and dragged him away from the house when she saw her Mother watching them through the curtains.

'I ain't jealous!' Caleb snapped defensively, unable to hide his offence at her belief.

'You are and it's alright, Gail told me she's got your back...she also said we ain't allowed to be alone in your bedroom' Rose advised, still linking his arm as they strolled down the street.

Caleb contemplated the comment for a moment, then felt her hand move down his arm and close around his hand gently. He did not want to draw attention to the gesture; however, he could not help but smile as they walked down the street hand in hand and the gesture made him forget about what his Father was up to at this moment in time.

'I don't like it when you get weird' Rose said quietly, thinking about how unconcerned he appeared when Luke nearly fell down the stairs, or how vicious he was towards Gail one time when he challenged her.

'My whole family is weird' Caleb laughed, then realised that she was truly concerned and regarded her seriously. 'I don't mean to be weird, it's just who I am...I promise I'll be better'

Rose smiled at his attempt to reassure her and rested her head on his shoulder. 'You said somethin' was goin' on?' she asked curiously, wondering why he had shown up all of a sudden when he usually avoided her house.

Caleb was brought back to the look in his Fathers eyes when he spotted Christie and gave off a small shudder. 'It's alright, we're goin' the park and everythin' else can keep away from us' he forced a smile, trying not to think about what his Father was going to do to Gail's friend.

* * *

Lucas stared at Christie's retreating figure in disbelief, actually impressed that she was able to muster up the strength to stand up after the car crash. He allowed her to hobble on ahead of him, enjoying stalking his prey and watched as she naively believed that she could escape what was coming.

Christie moved as fast as her legs could take her, sensing the danger if she was to be caught. The Sheriff did not appear willing to allow her to report on what she had heard and for the first time in a long time, she felt truly scared.

'I warned you on countless of occasions, so did your best friend but you still had to snoop where you didn't belong...This is on you Darlin', not me' Lucas called to her and smiled when her pace quickened.

Christie thought about Gail and how she had warned her a few hours earlier about going against her husband. Could Gail have really known what her husband was capable of? Surely not. Gail was good and pure and more determined than Christie had ever been to bring people to justice, if she knew what the Sheriff was truly capable of she would have turned him in by now.

'You just don't get it do you?' Lucas laughed, amused at her naivety. 'Your pure and innocent Gail is bound to me, she let me in willingly knowing what she was gettin' into and we're connected in way that you could never understand'

'She'd never forgive you if you-'

'Hurt you?' Lucas asked, appearing in front of her suddenly and smiling when she fell to the ground in shock. 'Or kill you?' he whispered devilishly.

Christie saw the look of pure evil in his eyes and froze in terror, she willed her legs to move and tried to pull herself away from his advancing presence; however, all her body did way lay there in a weak state and grip the soil with her fingers.

'Gail is mine and I am hers, if our relationship depended solely on your presence then she wouldn't have killed you on our wedding day' he advised candidly, feeling his twin ooze out of him and surround the area.

'W-what?' Christie stuttered scared and stared up at him with wide eyes.

'She's not as pure and innocent as you like to believe. Mayor John, Selena's Father, Tony Muler, you, Poppy Bowen, you again...My love has had her fair share of kills and truthfully, just between you and I, I think she's developed a taste for it' Lucas grinned wickedly, then bent down and cupped Christie's chin in his hand carefully.

'Please, I won't tell anybody anything...just please don't hurt me and let me go home to my Daughter' Christie pleaded, not liking the devouring look in his eyes.

Lucas stroked her cheek tenderly, then placed a soft kiss on her lips and got up. He stood towering over her for a moment, showing his dominance, then turned his back and began walking away.

Christie let out a relieved sigh when he left her, then thought back to Lucy sitting on her lap early in the morning and playing with her hair. She had truly believed that he was going to hurt her and all that flashed through her mind was visions of her beautiful Daughter. Now that he had left her, she wanted to go straight to her and hold her in her arms.

The sound of a crow cawing above her caught her attention and she stared up at the tree to her right. She watched the large black bird curiously, not sure when she had ever seen one so close before and attempted to get up off the ground to survey it more closely; however, a volt of pain surged through her leg and she was unable to move.

A second crow appeared on the branch beside the first and stared around the area. A third crow appeared, then a fourth and they all started cawing in unison.

A strange sensation came over Christie and she suddenly felt it was imperative that she moved. She tried again to get up; however, a strong force was holding her down and her mouth dropped open when she spotted a further five crows above her. Before she had a chance to think, the murder of crows bound down on her quickly and began tearing at her flesh. She screamed in agony as the flesh was torn away from her bones, starting from her legs to her arms and then her neck.

Lucas watched appreciatively from a small distance away, as his faithful companions disposed of the thorn in his side effortlessly. He reached out with his minds eyes, curious as to what was going through her mind and nodded when her thoughts entered on her Daughter.

When the first crow that had appeared on the branch above her reached Christie's face and pecked out her eye causing all coherent thoughts to cease, Lucas let out a satisfied breath. 'Goodbye Christie' he smiled to himself, then headed back towards the wreckage of her car to call in the accident.

* * *

Gail bolted upright, clawed at her eyes and screamed out Christie's name in pain. Her Father placed his hands around her and gently rocked her slowly, reminding her of where she was.

'You fell asleep' Peter reassured her and stroked her hair tenderly.

Gail felt her whole body shiver uncontrollably and leaned into her Father instinctively for comfort, then remembered who he truly was and shrugged him off of her. 'You said nothing was wrong' she accused concerned, then opened up her minds eye and reached out for her oldest friend; however, she was unable to locate her.

'Nothin' is wrong, you're where you needed to be...safe with me' Peter advised, then narrowed his eyes at her stubbornness when she got up and began pacing the room anxiously.

'You said nothing was wrong, but there was. I knew there was and I let you convince me otherwise' Gail said angrily, frantically trying to locate her friend through the hoards of people that were appearing in her mind.

Peter could see her beginning to fall apart at being unable to control her ability and reluctantly stepped in. 'Search for Ben Healy, that man is like an open book and you have a strong connection to him...let him be your anchor' he suggested, knowing exactly what had happened and sensing that shielding her now was a mistake which would come back bad on him.

Gail stared at him confused for a moment, then reached out for Ben and located him a few miles out of the Town centre by an abandoned stretch of road. She attempted to read his thoughts; however, he was too far away and all she could read was his horror over what he was seeing. Gail did not hesitate and rushed out of the room, placing the small black book in her bag securely as she headed downstairs.

'You don't need to see it Popet' Peter called after her, hoping she would respond to his fond nickname for her; however, when he heard the door slam at the front of the Wicca Store, he knew that he needed to leave her be.

* * *

Ben looked at the overturned car with disgust, unsure how this could have happened in Trinity under Lucas' watch. He had not yet found the driver; however, he recognised it as Christie's car and did not want to even think about the visit that he was going to have to pay Billy. He watched as Floyd finished cordoning off the area with yellow police tape, then saw his colleague tense and let out an uneasy sigh when Gail pulled up and disregarded the police tape, entering the crime scene without invitation.

'I don't care who you're married to, you can't be here!' Floyd stated angrily, disliking the Reporter at the best of times and even more so now that she had ignored police procedure.

Gail disregarded the comment and when Floyd grabbed her arm gently to restrain her, she punched him hard in the groin then continued on into the woods.

Ben let out a long exasperated sigh, then shot Floyd a look of warning when he went to insult their boss' wife and followed Gail into the woods. 'I get you have sources everywhere and you know who's car that is, but you can't just waltz into a police investigation when we're still scourin' the area' he informed her, when she slowed down a little to let him catch up to her.

'God forbid I intrude on you all scouring the area, you both looked cosy out there on the road doing absolutely nothing' she snapped, unable to hold in her concern and anger with being unable to locate Christie.

Gail felt her blood boiling as she neared the centre of the woods and her heart was pounding in her chest uncontrollably. She wanted to believe that her friend was fine and the sinking feeling she felt in her chest was just paranoia; however, she was drawn to this area and she knew the thing pulling her here was not going to be good.

'Come on Gail' Ben sighed, barely able to keep up with her and needing desperately to catch his breath. 'Even if it was the worst scenario, she woulda been thrown from the car up the road and not in some random part of the woo-' he stopped, nearly walking into Gail and stared at the scene that she had uncovered with wide eyes.

Gail gulped hard at the sight before her and started walking forward slowly. Ben gripped her arm protectively and attempted to pull her back; however, she broke free of his grasp effortlessly and went to her friend instinctively.

Ben watched as Gail knelt down and moved a strand of blood stained blonde hair from her friends eyes tenderly. When she let out a loud gasp, he rushed towards her and stared in horror at the torn up body before him.

'Her eyes...he took her eyes' Gail whispered in disgust, holding back the tears and allowing her anger to overtake her sorrow. She surveyed her friends once beautiful body and let out a small laugh at what it had now become, when she had only been with her a few hours earlier.

Ben placed his hand gently on her shoulder then reached down and pulled her to his chest, happy that she did not put up a struggle when he embraced her. 'You can't be here touchin' the body Gail, you know that' he whispered in her ear apologetically, then watched her sadly as she pulled away from his embrace gently and walked deeper into the woods.

Ben went to follow her, not wanting her to be alone; however, the radio on his belt crackled with Floyd's voice, distracting him for a moment and he picked it up to call this in. When he glanced in the direction that Gail had been heading, she was already gone and he let out a long concerned sigh.

Gail's mind went blank and she walked on in a haze. All of her strength had left her and she allowed her body to be pulled forward by some invisible force, not caring where she was going. When she exited the woods through a clearing, she looked out into the vast river before her and continued walking forward. She kicked off her shoes and placed her foot into the cold water carefully, then walked forward instinctively without hesitation and willed the water to carry her away from this place.

'You won't get off that easy' Malcolm hissed from the riverbank and smiled wickedly when she froze in the water.

Gail tensed at the sound of his voice, then felt her darkness rise within her and turned around to address him. 'Was this you?' she asked quietly, still in shock at what she had witnessed.

'You know exactly who this was and you know why' Malcolm stated smugly, not willing to take the blame for this one.

Gail continued to stare at the man who despised her so much that he conspired to turn her family against her and regarded him coldly. 'I should hurt you just for showing your face near me' she advised, wanting nothing more than to release her full power on him and snuff him out once and for all; however, holding back due to her agreement with her husband.

'He really does have you wrapped around his little finger doesn't he? I thought you made him weak but the thought of his family and you being taken away has made him more cruel...I suppose I should applaud you for that' Malcolm goaded willing her to lose control and strike him, so his Son could see her disloyalty to him.

Gail felt herself loosing control of her anger and needed a release, she was about to let her darkness reign down on him when she sensed eyes on her from across the river. Gail turned away from Malcolm, knowing he would not dare touch her in her current state of anger and spotted the young girl from her dreams a few months ago, her girl. The sight of her safe on the other side of the river wearing a frilly tartan dress made her smile, and she felt a wave of calmness come over her.

'Don't you ignore me!' Malcolm screamed, furious at her lack of concern.

Gail focused on her little girl, the one she was fighting so hard to protect and took in a deep breath, closed her eyes then sank into the water fully and allowed the current to take her away. She heard Malcolm's screams in the distance and laughed to herself at the state of her life. She was damned, there was no denying that now and as she floated aimlessly in the river she began to wonder about her past life.

When she opened her eyes, she had been drifting for miles and had ended up at a familiar area of the river. She swam to the shore and walked up the hill with her bare feet, through woods and up the worn out stone steps to the Buck family graveyard. Gail laughed hysterically at where she had ended up and collapsed down in front of Rosemary's unmarked grave, finally feeling her own tiredness.

'What did you do to damn us both?' she asked the blank gravestone at the head of the family plot and let out a long sigh when no answer came. 'What did you do!' she screamed as loud as she could, then began punching the gravestone with her bare hands until her skin was bloody and torn.

Lucas had been waiting patiently with Luke for his loves return by the fountain she was so fond of, knowing that his actions would need to be addressed. When he received a telephone call from Ben advising that Gail had found Christie's body, he expected her to show up quickly; however, her presence remained hidden from him.

The unexpected sound of her high pitched screams caused him to leave Luke playing in the grass and he darted through the woods at the back of the garden quickly, then stopped when he saw her beating one of the gravestones with her bare hands. He watched her concerned when her blood smeared the blank stone, then rushed to her and pulled her up abruptly, gripping her wrists to prevent her from thrashing out and more.

Gail felt her darkness fly to the surface at the sight of her husband and an image of Christie's socket-less eyes flashed through her brain. She wanted to strike him, cut him and watch him bleed into this spot which he held so sacred; however, she pushed her darkness back down and remembered how her Mother would present herself after her Father had beaten on her, ever the dutiful wife.

'Say somethin'' Lucas demanded quietly, not liking her cool calmness after what she had witnessed.

Gail took in a deep breath, leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips, holding back her tears for her tortured friend. She ensured her guard was firmly up so he could not read her, then gently pulled her hands free of his grasp and left the family graveyard, sensing her Son had been left alone.

Lucas inhaled deeply as he watched her go and tried to tune out Malcolm's loud tormenting laughter, which came from all around him.

-To be continued-


	6. Chapter 6

Lucas lay on his side in their large kingsize bed, stroking Gail's back tenderly. The wind blew strong through the open window, causing the curtains to rattle and the sun shone directly onto his love, clearly waking her from what little sleep she had gotten.

Lucas had allowed her space the previous evening and had kept the children out of her way, sensing she needed time alone after his loss of control. When she came to bed at her usual time and performed in her usual fashion, he thought that she may have seen the benefit to what he had done; however, now he sensed that she had just been playing a part, as she just lay there silently awake not reacting to his hand stroking her soft skin.

Gail focused all of her attention on the curtains blowing wildly in the strong breeze, attempting to keep her composure. She had felt physically sick after she allowed her husband to have his way with her last night and the thought of him touching her now with the hands that had dragged her injured into the woods made her skin crawl. It took all of her control not to let off a shudder at the vision of her friends socket-less skull, she took a deep breath to push down her revulsion of the man she was committed to and to control her rage.

Lucas heard her deep intake of breath and moved closer to her, brushing his manhood against her behind and reaching around to stroke her swelling stomach affectionately. He sensed her disgust no matter how hard she was trying to hide it; however, he also sensed her attempt to push down those unwelcome feelings and he felt a strange twinge in his chest at the thought of her fighting to remain devoted to him.

'It's called guilt, something you have no experience of' she whispered, not moving from her dormant position on her side.

Lucas thought about the comment for a moment, then shook off his unease and placed his hands on her hips to pull her gently back into him. 'I would never intentionally hurt you' he whispered in her ear, then buried his head into her neck and kissed it softly.

Gail heard the truth in his voice and she closed her eyes to keep her tears back, then shifted back into him and allowed him to hold her. 'You lost control' she said knowingly, with little emotion in her tone.

Lucas let out a relieved sigh when she showed her understanding of his nature and pushed her behind into him hard manhood gently, indicating that she was still his. 'But never against you or our family' he assured her, as he slowly lifted up her short nightdress and gently pushed his hard manhood inside of her, unable to hold back his desire to be one with her.

Gail let out a pained moan, not ready for such a move and allowed him to fill her regardless, aware that this was his way of trying to make it all better. She had chosen to marry this man knowing full well what he was, she could be mad at him for following his basic instincts.

Lucas felt how tight she was and let out a satisfied moan when she began to loosen, allowing him to move in and out of her with ease. This was where they were meant to be, entangled in each other and he was confident that she was too far gone to let his lack of control with Christie ruin what they had. As if to confirm his belief, she gave off a low moan and took his hand in hers, then held it to her chest. 'I'm yours' he whispered, as continued to take her softly and pushed his manhood deeper inside her.

'And I'm yours' she replied obediently, pushing away the vision of Christie and allowing him to strip away her sorrow, if only for a little while.

Lucas felt her let go and give herself over to him fully. No matter what interference the outside world tried to bring, they were one unit and were connected for eternity. The realisation of her disregarding her anger and pain for him pushed Lucas over the edge, causing his climax to hit suddenly. He exploded within her unexpectedly and continued to move in and out of her instinctively, until she allowed her release to come and called out his name in satisfaction.

Gail inhaled deeply as Lucas ran his lips over her neck, then reached around and pulled her face back to his for a passionate kiss. She leaned into the kiss obediently, her body betraying her as it always did when it yearned for his touch and allowed him to wrap his arms around her fully to stroke her large stomach.

'I wan't you to take it easy today, all this excitement can't be good for our little girl' he whispered in her ear concerned, then sucked her ear softly.

Gail considered his request, then gently pushed him out of her and got up from her position on the bed carefully. 'Someone other than you has to go identify to body...assuming you don't want to be linked to this by my already suspicious best friend?' Gail sighed, then headed towards the bathroom without waiting for his answer.

* * *

Billy sat with his head in his hands at the hospital, unable to comprehend what he had been told. It had not been the first time that Christie had stayed out all night attempting to follow a lead; however, when Ben showed up unexpectedly this morning, he knew something was truly wrong.

Lucy stood in front of the desk at the Nurses Station, trying to reach the top to pull herself up. Billy lifted his head when he heard her frustrated scream as she nearly got her fingers onto the surface, then shook his head in despair wondering what he was supposed to do with her. 'This can't be happenin'' he said out loud, coherent thoughts failing him.

'I'm sorry' Matt said apologetically and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, to confirm that he was here if anything was needed.

Lucas watched the pair from down the Hospital corridor, then glanced in the room where Christie was being held and shook his head in irritation at the woman he had despised.

'Was this you?' Merlyn asked suspiciously.

'You really wanna know?' Lucas asked casually, knowing Merlyn posed no threat to him right now.

Merlyn thought for a moment, then shook her head and started walking towards Matt. Suddenly, she felt a strong hand grip her arm and she looked up at Lucas with disgust. 'You gonna kill me too?' she asked angrily, unable to hide her true feelings at the terrible situation.

Lucas found himself amused at her candidness and pulled her to him, disregarding Matt's look for fury when he noticed the move. 'You got other people to take care apart from your Doctor Romeo, or have you forgotten who gave you a second chance in life?' he reminded her.

Merlyn was about to laugh at his delusional insinuation, when she realised that he was not talking about himself. 'Where is she?' she asked suddenly concerned.

Lucas had let Gail go this morning, of the understanding that he would know what she was doing; however, as soon as she left Coroners Office she shielded herself from him and he was currently unaware of her location. 'Somewhere keepin' outta trouble I'm hopin', I thought your connection with her may prove useful in this little situation we've found ourselves in' he advised, knowing Merlyn could locate her if she tried.

Merlyn let out an exasperated sigh, then spotted Matt walking towards them and forced a warm smile.

'You alright?' Matt asked protectively, suspecting Lucas was the reason that they were all here right now and finding it hard to control his anger.

'I'm fine, just sad I guess' she shrugged and tried to keep her demeanour calm.

'Where were you when the accident happened?' Matt asked Lucas accusingly.

Lucas felt his rage rush to the surface and took a step forward to address Matt man to man, then felt a familiar hand on his arm and forced his rage back down. 'I thought you'd left' he said casually, holding Matt's gaze.

'Now why would I do that when you're surrounded by people who don't trust you and I'm your only alibi' Gail forced a sweet tone, standing by her man loyally.

'He was with you?' Matt asked distrustfully, 'Doing what?'

'Me' Gail said flatly, as though the question was unnecessary. 'Do you want me to go into detail about the different way's he took me? Or is that sufficient for you Detective?' she asked Matt sarcastically, unimpressed at the ease in which she could lie to her best friend.

Matt regarded her disgusted for a moment, then saw the wounded look on her face at his anger being directed at her and remembered she had just lost her oldest friend. 'I want you in my office now, this isn't good for you' he advised and signalled for her to follow him promptly.

Gail started to protest, then shot Lucas an angry look when he pushed her gently towards Matt.

'Now' Lucas ordered calmly, also concerned with her health due to this situation.

Matt linked Gail's arm before she could try to protest, then pulled her towards his office. 'I'll be reviewing the Coroners report' he called to Lucas.

'You and me both Doc'' Lucas called back, then signalled for Merlyn to keep an eye on Gail while he dealt with Billy.

* * *

Caleb sat in the overly bright classroom, staring at the Cactus that Miss Coombs had placed on his desk. The news about Christie had not officially been announced; however, his Teacher had a strange look of satisfaction on her face today and had claimed that tending to the plant may take his mind off of whatever his Step Mom was going through, indicating that she was aware of what happened to Christie.

Caleb could not shake the guilt that plagued him, he had not minded Christie as she had not done anything to hurt him and he had known the change in his Father was serious; however, he had just ran straight to Rose and not warned his Step Mom. Gail had made breakfast in a haze this morning and he felt sad for her loss, it left a bad taste in his mouth and had put him in a strange mood.

'Caleb?' Miss Coombs asked concerned, when he did not acknowledge her the first time.

'Huh?' Caleb jumped slightly when he realised all attention was on him and stared at his Teacher blankly.

'Come on, we've got to go' Gail said sternly, as she leaned on the open door of his classroom and waited patiently for him to come back to the present.

Caleb glanced from Gail to Miss Coombs, not wanting to go with his Step Mom; however, he knew that appearance to the outside world was important for their family, so he just picked up his bag obediently and approached Gail.

'I'm sorry about your loss' Selena said smugly before the pair started to leave, then took a cautious step back when she spotted the dark look of warning in Gail's eyes and decided the wound was still too fresh to poke.

Caleb followed Gail down the long corridor silently, not knowing what to say. When they reached the exit, he was relieved to see Merlyn waiting by Gail's car and looked at Gail for permission before running to his Sister. 'What's happenin'?' he asked Merlyn quietly.

'Just be on your best behaviour and don't poke the hornets nest' Merlyn advised cautiously, then forced a sweet smile when Gail reached them.

'Are we waiting out here all day?' Gail asked bluntly, as she headed to the drivers side of her Mustang.

Caleb stared at Merlyn with wide uneasy eyes, then rushed to the back passenger side and jumped over the door.

'You really think you should be takin' him outta School?' Merlyn asked her cousin warily, as she got into the front passenger side of the car.

'We're family, why shouldn't we all be together?' Gail asked in a low voice unlike her own, then turned on the ignition and drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

Merlyn stared out of the front passenger side window suspiciously, recognising the stretch of road that they had stopped on. She shot Caleb a cautious glance through the rearview mirror, then let out a long sigh when her Brother jumped out of the car without hesitation and began following Gail into the woods.

Gail smiled at Caleb's curiosity, it reminded her of how she was as a child and still was today, regardless of what bad situations her intrigue would get her in. Right now she was not sure how she was going to play this and whether Caleb would regret his decision to follow her blindly. She sensed Merlyn's caution, knowing she recognised where they were headed; however, Gail had not planned on being babysat today and it was up to Merlyn whether she chose to follow them, or leave.

'Where we goin'?' Caleb asked excitedly, never being to this area of Town before and being intrigued by the secrecy.

'You don't miss a trick do you?' Gail smiled down at him, not allowing him to sense her distrust. After what had been going on recently and what had been done to Christie, she did not fully trust any male member of her family right now.

Caleb continued to follow Gail, unable to hide his intrigue at their exploration. After she weaved around several trees and changed direction a number of times, he was brought to an old large cabin and his mouth dropped open in awe.

'I've never shown you this place have I?' Gail asked sweetly, forcing her demeanour to remain warm and welcoming.

Caleb shook his head and continued to survey the large cabin, unsure how he did not notice it earlier through the trees and feeling strangely drawn to the building. 'Who lives there?' he asked quietly, as if the Master of the premises was going to jump out on him.

'Me' Gail laughed, then pulled him closer to the cabin when he stared up at her confused. 'Well, a form of me from a long time ago...it's a little hard to explain in a rational way' she advised, placing her arm around his shoulder and leading him to the door of the cabin.

Caleb tried to understand her explanation; however, he could not figure out what a form of her could mean, so he just wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to lead him closer.

'Gail!' Merlyn called concerned, when she had managed to catch up to her family after losing them in the woods.

Gail disregarded Merlyn's concern and pushed Caleb gently into the cabin, when the door opened on it's own to welcome her home.

Caleb sensed his Sisters concern and glanced over his shoulder at her curiously; however, the door closed abruptly behind them and they were left alone in an old living room with a log fire. He saw Merlyn rush towards the cabin and peer through the window, but it appeared that she was unable to see him as she started searching the area calling his name. 'Why ain't there any dust here?' he asked casually, surveying the room curiously and disregarding his Sisters strange behaviour.

'Why isn't there any dust in that large Buck Mansion?' Gail asked amused, smiling as his forehead furrowed at the question he had never considered before.

'Is this really your place?' he asked, after giving up on trying to figure out the mystery of his home and walked around the room slowly, admiring the old decor and furniture.

'It most certainly is, you want to see more?' she offered, enjoying his innocent curiosity with being in a new place.

Caleb nodded excitedly, then smiled when Gail linked his arm and led him down a small corridor.

'Some things are sacred, you understand that don't you?' she asked, as she showed him the old basic kitchen then headed towards the bedroom.

'You mean like family right?' he smiled, used to Lucas always lecturing him about the importance of their family.

'Well there is lineage, that's very important to your Father, but there's other sacred things such as a bond between two people' she explained slowly.

'Like you and my Daddy?' Caleb asked pleasantly, curious as to what this was about.

'Me and your Father go beyond all of that' Gail laughed as she waved off his question, then turned him to face her when they reached the bedroom. 'People...normal people, have a bond. From that bond breeds loyalty and from loyalty comes a sacred unity'

'I don't understand' Caleb advised honestly.

'Christie and I had a sacred bond, we've been through so much together and at one point, she was the only thing keeping me sane when I was suffering with the uncertainty of my parent's deaths' Gail smiled fondly, then her demeanour changed when she remembered that her friend was dead.

Caleb did not like the sudden change in his Step Mom; however, he chose not to address it and only followed her out of the door at the far end of the bedroom obediently, which led back out into the woods. She continued to lead him through the trees, until they came out at a deserted spot by the Trinity River and he spotted a wicked smile cross her lips.

'Did Lucas fill you in on Malcolm? Or did you just let him into our home unknowingly?' Gail asked, forcing her tone to remain calm and gently pulling Caleb towards the river.

'I..I didn't know who he was at first...he says he's my Grandaddy but I don't think of him as that' Caleb advised honestly, unable to sense his Fathers or Sisters presence at all and starting to feel concerned with his Step Moms behaviour.

'Well at least you're transparent, unlike your Father who can't control his urges...but I gather you knew that, seen as you hid away with Rose yesterday evening when he decided to unleash his rage on my oldest friend' Gail laughed in a voice unlike her own and dragged Caleb into the water with her.

The water was cold and seeped through his sneakers, instantly soaking his feet. Caleb's darkness rose to the surface in an attempt to provide some form of protection; however, his Step Mom somehow blocked it from breaking free. 'Gail?-' he started to plead.

'Your Father isn't the only one with a temper and he really shouldn't have trusted mine to remain caged' Gail said coldly, continuing to drag Caleb into the river and disregarding the freezing cold water on her stomach.

'Stop Heathen!' Malcolm screamed, appearing on the riverbank that they had previously came from when he sensed his Grandson was in danger.

Caleb looked towards Malcolm for help, then turned towards Gail when she quickly released her grip from his arm.

Gail's smile grew wide when her intended target had finally reared his ugly head, then closed her eyes and summoned her mind to focus like Lucas' Mothers journal had instructed. She had genuinely intended to allow Lucas to deal with Malcolm; however, her husbands lack of control was required to be answered and she was just as hot tempered as he was.

Caleb stared in horror as a woman appeared behind Malcolm with long dark brown hair draped over her face and her head hanging down grimly, the woman wore an old fashioned white dress and her hold body was dripping with water. He opened his mouth to warn Malcolm, who's attention was fixed firmly on Gail; however, the dark rage inside of him warned him to remain silent and Caleb knew better than to disregard it's warning.

Gail opened her eyes and stared at the real Rosemary, not her darkness who she named in an attempt to keep separate from herself. This was her true past self and she did not usually show herself unless Gail was in grave danger. Malcolm did not pose anywhere near a strong threat like he believed he did; however, a fallen dark soul was required to dispose of the dead permanently and she felt it only fitting that it be her mirror image that drove the final stake through this worthless wretch, to punish her husband for his misguided actions towards her oldest friend.

'You didn't really believe I'd hurt my original only living relative did you? He's my reason for being here in Trinity and will always be the rock that keeps me here, you foolish old man' she laughed and dragged Caleb out of the water, choosing to give Rosemary space to work.

Malcolm watched confused for a moment, then sensed the dark presence behind him and tried to disappear; however, the Heathens mirror image gripped his arms tight and was somehow able to overpower him. 'You will release me!' he demanded, trying to summon the powers that his family had served for so many generations and stared at his captor with wide eyes when no assistance came.

Caleb was scared, he did not know what was happening or why Gail had brought him here.

'He wouldn't just come out for me and Lucas would've sensed my play had this been on his home territory' Gail advised calmly as she read his thoughts, feeling Rosemary's power and allowing it to flow through her. 'No, this river is hers and the Buck men be damned if they try to cross her' she laughed wickedly and watched as her past self dragged Malcolm into the river, then smiled when she heard his screams of pain as something beneath the water began to tear away at his form.

Caleb felt an intruding presence in his mind; however, he could not take his concentration off Malcolm and felt a strange comfort when the man's screams got louder.

'See, we're the same' Gail whispered, releasing her hold on his darkness and allowing hers to flood through her unrestricted.

Caleb nodded as they both experienced a strange satisfaction at Malcolm's torture and leaned into Gail when she wrapped her arm around him lovingly.

'Buck men be damned huh?' Lucas asked unimpressed, as he appeared beside them and stared on furiously as his past self's soulmate tortured Malcolm in the river.

'I ain't a man yet' Caleb shrugged, unable to take his eyes off Malcolm and enjoyed what he was experiencing with his Step Mom.

Lucas sensed the bond that they were sharing and felt the rage of the powers that his family served rising in the distance. 'You think eliminatin' my Father is gonna work out well for you and yours?' he asked Gail, using all of his control to keep the full powers at play in Trinity from closing in and willing her not to make him choose.

'A soul for a soul, you took one of mine so I take one of yours' Gail said maliciously and smiled when Malcolms screams became louder.

Had she not have thrown a stone against the old powers that be, Lucas would be impressed by her actions; however, there were rules that needed to be followed and although he was all for breaking certain rules, the elimination of a Buck spirit would result in a war that he was not willing to allow.

'Spoil sport' Gail sighed as she read his mine, then closed her eyes and requested politely for Rosemary to cease her game, not wanting to anger her strong ally when she had been enjoying having some fun.

Lucas stood his ground as Rosemary appeared in front of him suddenly and held her gaze dominantly. 'You wanna fully call off your soldier love?' he asked calmly, the order in his question unmissable.

Gail rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly at Rosemary when she took a step away from Lucas, then watched as she regarded Caleb suspiciously before disappearing.

'I'll let that one go given your recent loss' Lucas advised, unable to let go of his dominance.

'And I'll choose not to rip the throat out of every person other than my family that you hold dear, given your recent loss of control' Gail forced a sweet tone and stared deep into his eyes willing him to challenge her.

Lucas applauded her bravado then gripped her chin roughly in his hand and kissed her forcefully, disregarding Caleb's presence.

Due to his unnatural strength, Gail was unable to break free from his embrace and ceased struggling when she realised it was not assisting her. When he finally released her after his show of dominance, she shot him a disgusted look and stormed off into the woods to find Merlyn, the only member of her family that caused her no issues.

Lucas watched her go and let out a long sigh, shaking his head at the predicament that he was in. 'You switchin' sides on me Son?' he asked Caleb, when he sensed his boy's disappointment at Malcolm's torture being interrupted.

'I ain't goin' against that' Caleb signalled in the direction that Rosemary had left, then smiled when his Father placed a protective hand on his shoulder and started to lead him towards his car to where his Brother had been safely out of the firing line.

-The end-


End file.
